No more ‘Atal’ for BJP’s Gujarat poll campaign

Anil Nair and Himanshu Darji, Dec 5, 2007, 12.21am IST

AHMEDABAD: Once considered an eloquent public speaker, formidable BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee is no more in contention to canvass for the lotus party in the crucial Assembly elections in Gujarat this December. In the 2002 polls, Mr Vajpayee led the election campaign in Gujarat and mobilised public support for Narendra Modi. But five years down the line, the crafty politician is considered too feeble and old for the assignment.

Notwithstanding his age, the BJP's 'vikas purush' — Mr Vajpayee — did write a letter to boost the 2007 election campaign in Uttar Pradesh. But no such move has been unveiled by the BJP yet in Gujarat and the silence is questionable. So, is the 83-year-old poetic leader silent due to his age-related ailments or deliberately distancing himself from Mr Modi's style of politics?

BJP insiders admit to both being the reasons. "Undoubtedly, Vajpayeeji is one of our most charismatic leaders, but he is really old now. He is suffering from various ailments, including a weak memory and does not campaign for elections anymore," said in-charge of IT cell of Gujarat BJP, Shashiranjay Yadav, who had also worked closely with Mr Vajpayee previously.

Not wishing to come on record, another former Vajpayee confidant said the age factor was certainly an issue but Mr Modi's style of running the Gujarat BJP was also an irritant for Mr Vajpayee. "Let's not forget that if Vajpayeeji had canvassed for Mr Modi in 2002 polls, he also at one point reminded him to follow Rajdharma and made it very evident that he should rule with equality while conveying that the 2002 riots was a blot on the nations forehead," the functionary added.

The two — Mr Vajpayee and Mr Modi — are also known not to be on the best of terms with the veteran expressing his anguish over the treatment meted out to senior Gujarat BJP leaders like Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta, who have complained of Mr Modi's autocratic style of functioning.

Mr Vajpayee's absence in Gujarat may not mean much for Mr Modi's personality-styled election campaign, but the absence of the stalwart leader in Gujarat's poll arena may just take the sheen off the campaigning. BJP spokesperson Prakash Jhavdekar, who is in Ahmedabad, also put off questions regarding Vajpayee's silence and cited the leader's frail health as the reason. "Vajpayeeji is very ill to even move about. His physiotherapy treatment is also under way," Mr Jhavdekar told ET .

When reminded that Mr Vajpayee had set a letter of support to the UP BJP through party president Rajnath Singh during the state elections, Mr Jhavdekar retorted, "The letter to UP BJP was written just a day before the polling. One such letter may also be sent for the Gujarat polls soon."